WEC's Fredson Paixao literally worked his way from the floors up

As a boy in a poor Brazilian town in the heart of the Amazon, Fredson Paixao loved kung fu.

Jiu jitsu, of course, is considered by many the martial art of choice in his native country. But Paixao loved the aerial displays of Bruce Lee movies, dreaming of making such flying moves.

But, with a factory-working mother and three siblings, Paixao also had to find a way to earn some money. That need led him to a local dojo, where he swept the floors for the teacher he met through friends. As a tradeoff, the teacher gave him free jiu-jitsu lessons.